A War of Gifts: An Ender Story

At Battle School, there is only one purpose, only one curriculum: the strategy and tactics of war. The children are drawn from all nations, all races, all religions. There is no room for cultural differences, no room for religious observances, and certainly no room for Santa Claus.

Andrew Wiggin is told that he can no longer live on Earth, and he realizes that this is the truth. He has become far more than just a boy who won a game: he is the Savior of Earth, a hero, a military genius whose allegiance is sought by every nation of the newly shattered Earth Hegemony. He is offered the choice of living in isolation on Eros, at one of the Hegemony's training facilities, but instead the 12-year-old chooses to leave his home world and begin the long relativistic journey out to the colonies.

At the end of Shadow of the Giant, Bean flees to the stars with three of his children--the three who share the engineered genes that gave him both hyper-intelligence and a short, cruel physical life. The time dilation granted by the speed of their travel gives Earth’s scientists generations to seek a cure, to no avail. In time, they are forgotten - a fading ansible signal speaking of events lost to Earth’s history. But the Delphikis are about to make a discovery that will let them save themselves, and perhaps all of humanity in days to come.

Shadow of the Giant

Bean, once the smallest student at the Battle School, and Ender Wiggin's right hand, has grown to be a power on Earth. He served the Hegemon as strategist and general in the terrible wars that followed Ender's defeat of the alien empire attacking Earth. Now he wishes for a safe place to build a family, something he has never known, but there is nowhere on Earth that does not harbor his enemies; old enemies from the days in Ender's Jeesh, new enemies from the wars on Earth.

Shadow Puppets

Best selling SF author Orson Scott Card brings to life a new chapter in the saga of Ender's Earth.

Earth and its society have been changed irrevocably in the aftermath of Ender Wiggin's victory over the Formics. The unity forced upon the warring nations by an alien enemy has shattered. Nations are rising again, seeking territory and influence, and most of all, seeking to control the skills and loyalty of the children from the Battle School.

The mining ship El Cavador is far out from Earth, in the deeps of the Kuiper Belt, beyond Pluto. Other mining ships, and the families that live on them, are few and far between this far out. So when El Cavador’s telescopes pick up a fast-moving object coming in-system, it’s hard to know what to make of it. It’s massive and moving at a significant fraction of the speed of light.

El Cavador has other problems. Their systems are old and failing. The family is getting too big for the ship. There are claim-jumping corporate ships bringing Asteroid Belt tactics to the Kuiper Belt.

One hundred years before Ender's Game, the aliens arrived on Earth with fire and death. Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston is the story of the First Formic War. Victor Delgado beat the alien ship to Earth, but just barely. Not soon enough to convince skeptical governments that there was a threat. They didn’t believe that until space stations and ships and colonies went up in sudden flame. And when that happened, only Mazer Rackham and the Mobile Operations Police could move fast enough to meet the threat.

Shadow of the Hegemon

Orson Scott Card tells a tale long awaited by millions of fans: the story of how Bean turned away from his first friend, Ender, and became the tactical genius who won the Earth for Ender's brother, Peter, who became the Hegemon.

Nearly 100 years before the events of Orson Scott Card’s best-selling novel Ender’s Game, humans were just beginning to step off Earth and out into the Solar System. A thin web of ships in both asteroid belts; a few stations; a corporate settlement on Luna. No one had seen any sign of other space-faring races; everyone expected that First Contact, if it came, would happen in the future, in the empty reaches between the stars. Then a young navigator on a distant mining ship saw something moving too fast, heading directly for our sun.

Children of the Mind

The planet Lusitania is home to three sentient species: a large colony of humans; the Pequeninos; and the Hive Queen, who was brought there by Ender Wiggin. Once again, the enemy (the Starways Congress) has gathered a fleet and is threatening to destroy Lusitania. Ender's oldest friend, Jane, an evolved computer intelligence, is trying to save the three sentient species of Lusitania, but the Starways Congress is destroying the computer world she lives in.

Ender's Shadow

Andrew "Ender" Wiggin was not the only child in the Battle School; he was just the best of the best. In this book, Card tells the story of another of those precocious generals, the one they called Bean, the one who became Ender's right hand, part of his team, in the final battle against the Buggers. Bean's past was a battle just to survive. His success brought him to the attention of the Battle School's recruiters.

Xenocide is the third installment of the Ender series. On Lusitania, Ender found a world where humans and pequeninos and the Hive Queen could all live together; where three very different intelligent species could find common ground at last. Or so he thought. But Lusitania also harbors the descolada, a virus which kills all humans it infects, but which the pequeninos require in order to transform into adults.

Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game is a science fiction classic. In Ender’s World almost two dozen writers offer new perspectives on the 1985 novel, along with insights gleaned from other Ender stories that fit within the Ender’s Game chronology. In addition, military strategists Colonel Tom Ruby and Captain John Schmitt offer insight into the human-Formic war.

Speaker for the Dead

In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: the Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War. Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered by Portuguese colonists on the planet Lusitania. But again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening...again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery...and the truth.

The Call of Earth: Homecoming: Volume 2

For millennia, the planet Harmony has been protected by the Oversoul, an artificial intelligence programmed to prevent thoughts of war and conquest from threatening the fragile remnant of Earth's peoples. But as the Oversoul's systems have begun to fail, a great warrior has arisen to challenge its bans.

The Memory of Earth: Homecoming, Volume 1

High above the planet Harmony, the Oversoul watches. Its task, programmed so many millennia ago, is to guard the human settlement on this planet, to protect this fragile remnant of Earth from all threats...to protect them, most of all, from themselves.

Best-selling writer Orson Scott Card founded the online magazine Intergalactic Medicine Show in 2006. It has been a big success, drawing submissions from well-known science fiction and fantasy writers, as well as fostering some amazing new talents. This collection contains some of the best of those stories.

The Ships of Earth: Homecoming, Volume 3

With the continuing failure of the Oversoul, the artificially intelligent guardian computer of the planet Harmony, the human colonists have begun to repeat the devastations of war and conquest wrought on Earth. To repair itself and avert disaster, the Oversoul has called a group of 16 refugees from the fallen city of Basilica to a hidden, abandoned spaceport where the ancient starships lie.

Visitors: Pathfinder Series, Book 3

Rigg’s journey comes to an epic and explosive conclusion as everything that has been building up finally comes to pass, and Rigg is forced to put his powers to the test in order to save his world and end the war once and for all.

Earthfall: Homecoming: Volume 4

When war broke out on the planet Harmony, the Oversoul of that colonized world selected the family of Wetchik to carry it back to long-lost Earth. Now the tribe is ready at last to take a ship to the stars. But from the beginning there has been bitter dispute between Wetchik's sons, Nafai and Elemak. On board the starship Basilica, the children of the tribe will become pawns in the struggle for control of reclaimed Earth.

Earthborn: Homecoming: Volume 5

High above Earth orbits the starship Basilica. On board the huge vessel is a sleeping woman. Of those who made the journey, Shedemei alone has survived the hundreds of years since the Children of Wetchik returned to Earth.

Rigg is well trained at keeping secrets. Only his father knows the truth about Rigg’s strange talent for seeing the paths of people’s pasts. But when his father dies, Rigg is stunned to learn just how many secrets Father had kept from him - secrets about Rigg’s own past, his identity, and his destiny. And when Rigg discovers that he has the power not only to see the past, but also to change it, his future suddenly becomes anything but certain.

Ruins: Pathfinder, Book 2

When Rigg and his friends crossed the Wall between the only world they knew and a world they could not imagine, he hoped he was leading them to safety. But the dangers in this new wallfold are more difficult to see. Rigg, Umbo, and Param know that they cannot trust the expendable, Vadesh - a machine shaped like a human, created to deceive - but they are no longer certain that they can even trust one another. But they will have little choice. Because although Rigg can decipher the paths of the past, he can’t yet see the horror that lies ahead: A destructive force with deadly intentions is hurtling toward Garden.

Why we think it’s a great listen: It’s easy to say that when it comes to sci-fi you either love it or you hate it. But with Ender’s Game, it seems to be you either love it or you love it.... The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Enter Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, the result of decades of genetic experimentation.

Publisher's Summary

First Meetings is a collection of three novellas (plus the original "Ender's Game") that journey into the origins and the destiny of one Ender Wiggin.

"The Polish Boy", a novella written especially for this collection, begins in the years between the first two Bugger Wars when the Hegemony is desperate to recruit brilliant military commanders to repel the alien invasion. In John Paul Wiggin, the future father of Ender, they believe they may have found their man. Or boy.

In "Teacher's Pest", also written especially for this collection, a brilliant but insufferably arrogant John Paul Wiggin, now an American university student, matches wits with an equally brilliant graduate student named Theresa Brown.

It is many years since the end of the Bugger Wars in "The Investment Counselor". Ender's reputation as a hero and savior has suffered a horrible reversal. Banished from Earth and slandered as a mass murderer, 20-year-old Ender Wiggin wanders incognito form planet to planet as a fugitive, until a blackmailing tax inspector compromises his identity and threatens to expose Ender the Xenocide.

Also here is the original landmark "Ender's Game", which first appeared in 1977.

First Meetings is Orson Scott Card at the height of his considerable powers, featuring his most compelling character.

What the Critics Say

"Character, setting, plot: Card does them all right, and makes it look effortless....For newcomers to Ender's universe and long-time fans, this book will hit the spot and whet the appetite for more." (School Library Journal) "Even those who are intimately familiar with the concepts of the Game from later Ender books will be struck anew by Card's virtuosity. His powerful voice and startlingly clear vision will draw many new readers into a lifelong love of science fiction. This accessible collection will impress even non-sci-fi buffs, besides being a must-have for Ender saga devotees." (Publishers Weekly) "These stories demonstrate the assured scene setting, apparently effortlessly sustained suspense, and moral preoccupation with the responsibilities of kinship and friendship that distinguishes Ender's entire saga." (Booklist)

Great stuff for fans, but definitely not a place to start with Ender (well, the original novella is a great place to start, but that's just a third of this download). Without knowing some details from the books, the resonance of these first meetings would probably be greatly diminished. Without an understanding of the larger structure, some listeners would likely not appreciate the full story.

I'm including an open plea to all audiobook producers: Please please please, if you must include music that overlaps the narration, LISTEN TO IT BEFORE FINALIZING THE PRODUCT! Often, this is a minor annoyance. In this book, it absolutely ruins the end of the Ender's Game novella. You can't hear half of what's being said. So a meaningful quiet moment is completely spoiled. I've never read a review where someone likes these musical overlays: I'm begging you to stop using them. It created a sad, sour experience at the end of an otherwise enjoyable listen.

Fans of <U>Ender's Game</U> and <U>Speaker for the Dead</U> will definitely want to hear <U><B>First Meetings: Four Stories from the Enderverse</B></U>. As I have stated with most of my short story reviews, audio books and short stories are made for each other and for fans of Ender, these four short stories construct a beautiful bridge between Ender's past before <U>Ender's Game</U> and between <U>Ender's Game</U> and <U>Speaker for the Dead</U>.

The original novelette format of <U>Ender's Game</U> is the third story in this four part collection and it is a great story, even in this pared down format. It just proves that <U>Ender's Game</U> is a terrific story that re-engages listeners everytime they play it. The remaining three stories are the best part of this collection though and my favorite is <U>Teacher's Pest</U>.

<U>Teacher's Pest</U> is the story of the meeting and very brief courtship of John Paul Wiggin and Theresa Brown. The very intriguing couple who become the parents of Peter, Valentine, and Andrew Wiggin.

<U>The Polish Boy</U> introduces us to the "non-compliant" Wieczorek family and the brilliant John Paul, whose genius will alter the course of the future, for both his family and the entire <B>Enderverse</B>. John Paul Wieczorek of course becomes John Paul Wiggin in <U>Teacher's Pest</U>.

This is a great collection of stories that is spectacularly narrated, as usual, by the Fantastic Audio crew. My only criticism of the audio production is the bumper music used at the beginning and ending of each story. I do believe my ears started bleeding at some point and the bumpers overlap the narration too far so that it is very hard to hear for several seconds at the beginning and ending of these stories.

Again, I can't recommend any group of short stories enough but these are terrific, especially for Ender fans. Enjoy!

For those already immersed in the "Enderverse" this is a fun listen. Probably the weakest of the four stories was the "Ender's Game" novella, only because the novel completely eclipses it -- but for those who have not read the short story and like the book, it is interesting to see the evolution of the narrative.
For those like me, who have re-read these books over and over again, the two stories about Ender's parents might hold some very slight anachronisms, but nothing that keeps you from enjoying them.
I most particularly enjoyed "Investment Councilor". It was a neat little insight into Ender's world and travels in-between "Ender's Game" and "Speaker for the Dead".

I have to agree with the other reviews that the "music" at the end/beginning of a section is to much it overpowers the book and you can barely hear the book at that point all and all it is not a bad series, the Ender's Game novella was not needed though.

I enjoyed the stories themselves. It was kinda cool to see how Ender's parents got together. I also enjoyed the glimpse at Ender as a young man. The short story Ender's Game was fascinating to hear and compare to the book.

The one thing that I could not stand was the LOUD music playing over the storytellars at the begining and end of each story. Whoever it was at Audio Renaissance that thought this sounded good needs to have their head examined. Not only was it difficult to hear, but it was terrible music. Personally, I would prefer it if they never did this again, but if they had to, at the very least it should be set in the background and low enough so that it doesn't interfere.

If you have read Ender's Game, this is a must read! I admit, there are a few things that do not exactly coincide with Ender's Game, but they are barely even noticable. I really enjoyed them and I hope you do to. If you have not read any of the Ender's Game series, do not start with this one.

If you're an Enderverse fan, this is a great collection of short background stories that fill in some gaps that had been left open in earlier books. Each story covers a couple big gaps in the series without getting bogged down by the development of too many characters.

My only complaint with the whole series is the use of music in the recordings. Orson Scott Card, if you are reading this review, PLEASE for the love of humanity don't let your producers put music in the recordings!!! It's terribly distracting and it almost completely drowns out the words. I could hardly hear the last conversation between Anderson and Graph due to the piercing music. At least I think that's who the conversation was between. Since I couldn't hear them, I just had to assume they were planning out how to live their golden years after the Bugger War.

Bottom Line: the music can ruin and otherwise great addition to the Enderverse.

Having been a long-time fan of the Ender series, it was really neat to listen to these stories as they filled in some of the details of the Enderverse. This book is highly recommended for anyone familiar with the series. The narration is top-notch, but the music that overlaps the beginning and end of each story almost drove me insane! The music was SO loud that it was almost impossible to hear what the narrator was saying. Please don't let this one flaw prevent you from listening to this otherwise fantastic audiobook. Great stuff!

This is Scott Card?s short story telling at its best, typical Scott Card, which is good news for his fans. You are treated to a Scott Card dissertation, on sociology, which he draws to a questionable conclusion but it gets you thinking. A good listen but if you have never encountered Ender before it is, perhaps, not the best place to start.
The three new stories are evocative and entertaining. They took me back to my first encounter with Scott Card in ?Maps in a Mirror? and reminded me why I have avidly read everything he has written since. It is masterly stuff, great science-fiction, and does so leave you wanting more.
Scott Card seems to translate well to spoken word. Please sir, I want more!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

uk

6/30/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"A nice addition the enderverse"

I wasn't going to bothered initially, OSC'S work in the enderverse has been in steady decline with each novel being slightly worse than its predecessor.The three short stories and the original Ender short story are a return to form and we're very enjoyable

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Kim

Bromley, United Kingdom

2/21/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Good Stories, but awful Music!"

I really enjoyed this audiobook - in context of the whole series within the Enderverse. ...But the Music nearly drove me insane (played in-between, and over lapping the end and beginning of each story). It was so loud, that it was a struggle to hear the actual actors. Please please please do away with the music! Its not needed!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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